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Italy’s Five Star Movement, which forms one half of the governing coalition, suffered a fresh humiliation on Monday after winning an estimated 11 per cent of votes in Sardinia's regional election.

If confirmed once counting is completed, it would mark a precipitous decline from the 42 per cent of votes that the party won on the island during Italy’s general election less than a year ago.

The dismal performance could inflame tensions with the hard-Right League, which has emerged as the more powerful of the two parties since they were sworn into government last summer.

The League is led by Matteo Salvini, who has eclipsed his fellow deputy prime minister, Luigi di Maio of Five Star, with a crackdown on migrant arrivals in the Mediterranean and the savvy use of social media platforms to publicise his policies.

The two parties are at odds over a wide range of issues, from the treatment of asylum seekers to whether to proceed with a rail link beneath the Alps that would link Turin with Lyons as part of a larger pan-European transport network.

They will campaign separately in the European Parliament elections, which could further antagonise the differences between them.

With votes in Sardinia partially counted, the centre-Right were tipped to win the election with around 47 per cent of the vote, followed by the centre-Left with 33 per cent.

The disappointing performance by Five Star, which just last year established themselves as Italy’s most popular party, comes two weeks after a similarly poor showing in elections in the mountainous region of Abruzzo.

In that poll, Five Star won 20 per cent of votes – half of what it garnered in the region during the March 2018 general election.

There may be more punishment in store – Five Star will again go head to head with its rivals in elections in the southern region of Basilicata next month.

Despite the result, Mr Di Maio said the election result would not alter the balance of power within the government.

"Nothing changes for the government,” he said, adding that it was the first time that Five Star had taken part in a regional election in Sardinia and that it was up against broad alliances forged by the centre-Right and centre-Left.

“We feel positive because, for the first time, we are going to have regional councillors in Sardinia,” he said.

Giuseppe Conte, the prime minister, has the tricky task of arbitrating between the two coalition partiesCredit:
Alex Kraus/Bloombery

Giuseppe Conte, the prime minister, who has the tricky task of mediating between the coalition partners, also said there would be no ramifications for the national government.

“We shouldn’t over-emphasise the role of regional elections," said Mr Conte.

"They are important for Sardinia and they give some electoral food for thought but I don’t think there will be consequences for the national government.”

The rating agency Fitch said on Friday that it did not expect the government to endure for a full five-year term because of the sharp ideological and policy differences between The League and Five Star.

Mr Conte dismissed those concerns, saying he did not think it likely that discord between the parties would precipitate fresh elections this year.

"Quite honestly I just don't see all this political uncertainty," he told Corriere della Sera newspaper.